After many years of searching, it has come to pass. One of my Holy Grail pieces has been realized. Granted, I have multiple "Holy Grail" pieces. From the P-116 Fall/Autumn Leaves Percolator to the P-48 Sectional Platter, but this was the 1 piece that I seriously thought I would never get my hands on. I have only seen 1 other piece over the years, which happens to be on Flickr. In fact, that particular piece on Flickr is how I discovered the existence of said piece in the first place, about 5 years ago. It has been a long slow process bringing everything together again piece by piece.
I'm speaking of the P-53 Self Timing Saucepan. I obtained the heater base first, then found a flat ground "P-4" at the Good Will some 9 months later. Now, I hold the final piece in my obsessive hands after a year of searching..... (and help from a friend)
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The completed Self Timing Saucepan... Heater Base, Flat Ground dish (which would later be dubbed the P-4) and the "double boiler" insert with the lid.
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Not having the original booklet or recipe box that accompanied the Self Timing Saucepan (more things to hunt down evidently), I have no idea if these pieces were originally packaged together, or if the double boiler insert was an add-on option.
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The bottom is the same piece that would become the P-4 in 1966, but for the Self-Timing Saucepan (1963) is was ground smooth and flat, like the Electromatic skillets (P-22 & A-22) and the Cookmates. Also, like most of the Electromatic skillets, it has no model # printed or embossed upon it.
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The insert is the biggest mystery in all this....
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Unlike the bottom dish, it isn't flat ground, it is also significantly shallower than the bottom dish; only holding about 1 quart instead of 1 1/2 quarts.
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The upper rim is wide, like that of the P-17 double boiler insert for the P-2 1/2-B.
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I wish I could give more information than this but, like the base dish, it has no model number. This makes me believe that it was part of the whole set that was sold as the "P-53" with no individual part numbers. Which, on some level, is odd, since the skillets ARE model numbered differently than the Heater Base Unit (being P-22-B and A-22-B Skillets or P-85 Dutch Oven). And while the numbers were not printed on these pieces, they were used for replacement orders.
Since these inserts seem to be so much more rare than the flat ground "P-4" pieces, I am beginning to wonder if maybe there was a "Regular" model (Heater Base and the "P-4" with lid) and a "Deluxe" model, that included the insert as well (P-53-D?). Alas, I have never seen one in it's original box, nor have I seen any other literature on this piece other than the "Recipe Box" that accompanied the Self-Timing Saucepan. (Which can be viewed at Blue Cornflower.com)
Where is your Corning Ware??
~~
I'm speaking of the P-53 Self Timing Saucepan. I obtained the heater base first, then found a flat ground "P-4" at the Good Will some 9 months later. Now, I hold the final piece in my obsessive hands after a year of searching..... (and help from a friend)
Since these inserts seem to be so much more rare than the flat ground "P-4" pieces, I am beginning to wonder if maybe there was a "Regular" model (Heater Base and the "P-4" with lid) and a "Deluxe" model, that included the insert as well (P-53-D?). Alas, I have never seen one in it's original box, nor have I seen any other literature on this piece other than the "Recipe Box" that accompanied the Self-Timing Saucepan. (Which can be viewed at Blue Cornflower.com)
Where is your Corning Ware??
~~
